The present invention relates generally to telephonic communications and pertains, more specifically, to a wireless telephone system, a wireless telephone and a method for facilitating the use of wireless telephones.
The increasing popularity of wireless telephones, prompted by the widespread availability of cellular wireless telephone services, has led to a demand for more convenience and greater availability in wireless telephones and more economical wireless telephone use. The present invention places wireless telephone services within the easy reach of a greater population, thereby facilitating telephonic communication among increased numbers of people, in business and commercial fields as well as in domestic and personal uses.
It is well known that only a limited amount of radio frequencies are allotted for commercial wireless telephone communications. A growing problem in the provision of wireless telephone service is the unauthorized use of an assigned telephone number on an assigned carrier frequency. The practice, commonly referred to as xe2x80x9ccloningxe2x80x9d, enables an unauthorized user to duplicate an assigned telephone number and actually xe2x80x9cstealxe2x80x9d airtime in the wireless telephone system. Currently, commercial carriers employ a relatively complex and expensive computer tracking infrastructure to counter such cloning by identifying and authenticating a specific telephone and details of the corresponding telephone account before any particular telephone communication is qualified and allowed to proceed on the carrier""s system. Then the telephone call is tracked, timed and invoiced automatically. The present invention provides a wireless telephone system, a wireless telephone for use in the system, and a method of using a wireless telephone which combats cloning, thereby deterring unauthorized use of airtime, and does so with less complexity and greatly reduced cost.
Thus, the present invention provides a wireless telephone and method, as well as a wireless telephone system, for facilitating the use of wireless telephones. As such, the present invention attains several objects and advantages, some of which may be summarized as follows: Simplifies and renders more economical the use of wireless telephone services; renders wireless telephone services available to a larger audience at lowered cost; facilitates the distribution and use of wireless telephones; reduces the expense of wireless telephones and wireless telephone services; promotes the use of wireless telephones and wireless telephone services by those who otherwise would not invest in a wireless telephone and expend funds for wireless telephone services; facilitates the availability of wireless telephones and wireless telephone services for emergency uses; provides added convenience in obtaining as well as using wireless telephones and wireless telephone services.
The above object and advantages, as well as further objects and advantages, are attained by the present invention which may be described briefly as a wireless telephone system including a wireless telephone capable of use for telephonic communication only during a limited period, after which period the telephone is rendered inoperative for telephonic communication in the telephone system, the telephone comprising: telephonic means for transmitting and receiving telephonic communications; enabling/disabling means for enabling the telephonic means for telephonic communications during the limited period and disabling the telephonic means for telephonic communications upon expiration of the limited period, whereby the telephone is rendered inoperative beyond the limited period; selective operating means for operating the telephonic means for selected telephonic communications of selected durations, the enabling/disabling means being responsive to the selective operating means such that telephonic communication is disabled for telephonic communications when the sum of the selected durations reaches the limited period; and encrypted signal means for transmitting an encrypted signal during telephonic communications through the telephonic means; the telephone system including encrypted signal reading means remote from the telephone for maintaining the telephonic communication through the telephone system during the selected telephonic communications in response to the presence of the encrypted signal and for discontinuing telephonic communication through the telephone system in response to the absence of the encrypted signal.
Further, the present invention provides a wireless telephone for use in a telephone system including encrypted signal reading means remote from the telephone, the wireless telephone being capable of use for telephonic communication only during a limited period, after which period the telephone is rendered inoperative for telephonic communication in the telephone system, the telephone comprising: telephonic means for transmitting and receiving telephonic communications; enabling/disabling means for enabling the telephonic means for telephonic communications during the limited period and disabling the telephonic means for telephonic communications upon expiration of the limited period, whereby the telephone is rendered inoperative beyond the limited period; selective operating means for operating the telephonic means for selected telephonic communications of selected durations, the enabling/disabling means being responsive to the selective operating means such that telephonic communication is disabled for telephonic communications when the sum of the selected durations reaches the limited period; and encrypted signal means for transmitting an encrypted signal during telephonic communications through the telephonic means such that the encrypted signal reading means enables maintenance of the telephonic communication through the telephone system during the selected telephonic communications in response to presence of the encrypted signal and effects discontinuance of telephonic communication through the telephone system in response to absence of the encrypted signal.
Additionally, the present invention includes a method of using a wireless telephone for telephonic communications in a wireless telephone system during only the duration of a limited period, after which period the telephone is rendered inoperative in the telephone system, the telephone including telephonic means for transmitting and receiving telephonic communications, the method comprising: enabling the telephonic means for telephonic communications during the duration of the limited period; operating the telephonic means for telephonic communications of selected durations; disabling telephonic communication through the telephonic means upon the sum of the selected durations reaching the duration of the limited period, whereby the telephone is rendered inoperative in the telephone system beyond the limited period; transmitting an encrypted signal during telephonic communications through the telephonic means; and maintaining the telephonic communication through the telephone system during the selected telephonic communications in response to the presence of the encrypted signal and for discontinuing telephonic communication through the telephone system in response to the absence of the encrypted signal.